A Lovely Deal
by Keijo6
Summary: After nearly meeting his end, a young sailback is forced to pay a price for his foolishness. However, over time his way of seeing his new situation changes considerably and before long, he finds something he wasn't even searching as he gets to know one certain female a bit better…


**A Lovely Deal**

A worried look rose to the sharptooth's face as he looked behind himself, cursing that his journey had turned into this damned mess. He had feared from the very beginning he might be trespassing some other predator's territory but he had still hoped to pass through these lands undetected. Yes, he knew that he wouldn't have stood by either if some potential competitor had invaded his old territory either but those thoughts were buried beneath the urgency of the moment.

_Roar_!

Again, that haunting sound could be heard from the distance, telling the young sailback that he didn't have any opportunity to linger here any further. The larger predators had caught his scent from an unbelievably faraway distance and being forced to flee from his chasers made Sprinter more enraged than what he had expected. He was a sharptooth, for the ancestors' sake, but he knew more than well that he could never stand against two two-footers, no matter how hard he tried. Not only were they much longer than he was but much more powerful and ferocious as well. Sprinter knew he had to find shelter from these green plains soon enough or his journey would end far faster than he would have wanted.

The predator's eyes explored the lands before him, looking for the place direction to flee towards. The landscape sloped just enough to block his line of sight towards the distant horizon, making his attempts to escape to safety that much more difficult. The carnivore knew he didn't have a chance to even think of stopping to take a short breather as judging from his chasers' cries, they couldn't be more than five minutes behind him. Soon enough, they'd reach him and at that point it would be all over for him…

The sharptooth suddenly jumped to his left as he heard a violent rumbling voice near him. He immediately ran further away from his previous spot as he saw a massive pile of rocks collapsing from a rather high hill next to him. For a moment, he felt like he wouldn't be able to escape the rockslide and he already took the last leap forward, already expecting himself to be buried under the rocks for good. However, seconds passed and he still felt nothing but the soft grass of the early Warm Time below him. Carefully, the sharptooth turned to look behind him and his eyes widened in surprise as he saw that the slide had stopped only a few inches from his hindlegs. He had made it! He had managed to escape from even th…

"Detras, it's your turn now!" A female voice cried and before the predator got a chance to even think about the meaning of those words, he felt a terrifying smell invade his nostrils, one that nearly made him vomit immediately. He turned to look back forward and saw a light-blue male fastrunner run away from him, having thrown a handful of wet stinkweed over him! Almost immediately, Sprinter realized the implications of the cowardly halftooth. Apparently these pitiful fastrunners were in alliance with his chasers and they had just marked him for certain death! This horrifying smell wouldn't leave him in days, at least now without water and there was none of it to be seen anywhere nearby.

Sprinter cursed as he looked at the fleeing coward, wanting nothing more than to head after him and finish him off for good but he heard another roar behind him and knew he had no time to try to catch the cursed halftooth, no matter how much he would have wanted. The sailback took a deep sigh as he rose back to his feet and headed forward, hoping to find something, anything that could save him from this pitiful fate.

Minutes passed as the sharptooth felt his heart beat desperately in his chest, not allowing him to forget that everything was at stake here. Once in a while, he looked over his shoulder to see if the predators were getting close enough for him to see them behind him and time and time again, he could sigh in ease as he didn't see a sign of them. However, as he again wanted to check if his luck would last at least for a while longer, he saw the two menacing finally in the far distance. So, his time was really starting to run out. He was already preparing to say his final prayers as he turned to look forward, not expecting to see anything of worth. But his eyes widened in shock as he saw the sight he had waited for for so long.

A few trees rose from the ground in the distance and as more seconds flew by, Sprinter could see that those few trees were only the first signs of a massive forest before him, larger than any he had seen in his life before. Unconsciously, his legs started to pick up the pace even faster as the promise of salvation seemed to appear before him. He looked before himself frantically, frowning at the agonizingly slow pace with which the forest was drawing closer.

And even if his mind tried to ignore the horrifying reality, he started to hear the footsteps of the predators starting to reach his ears, causing him o slowly pray that he could still live through this nightmare. He cursed deep down that the larger sharpteeth were faster than he was but with the stinkweed all over him, it wouldn't matter anyway, most likely. Still, his primal instincts denied him the thought of giving up in this grand struggle for life, so precious yet so fragile.

A frantic look rose to his mind as the trees started to rise all around him, the male knowing he was still in grave danger. Sprinter swallowed as he tried to look for a new way forward but everywhere he looked, only more trees met his gaze. He frowned as he continued running forward, hoping he'd be able to find something, anything that would save him from the ghastly fate that was growing ever closer to him. Suddenly, he saw that the ground before him turned into a steep slope downwards and without looking what lay before him, Sprinter jumped forward… only to find himself crashing into another dinosaur before falling into the ground, his whole world darkening for a moment. Immediately afterwards, he heard an astonished and angered cry.

"What in the name of the Bright Circle are you doing, you moron? Get your stinking ass away from me or you'll be sorry soon enough!" An agitated voice cried and slowly, Sprinter's sight started to return and almost immediately afterwards, he realized he was lying on another dinosaur of his kind and a female one at that. He let out a brief curse before he rose back to his feet and answered to the female in a voice that seemed to compromise none of his pride.

"If you weren't wandering around here without preparing for all possibilities, you would have deserved anything that came our way! So stay out of my business!" He said with a hissing voice, knowing that he had no time to argue with the slightly shorter sailback. The female frowned at him and waved him off with a sharp gesture that communicated nothing but disgust at the male.

"I'll do so gladly! But you better stay out of my territory or I'll make sure you won't get away with this little the next time!" She said as she turned around, preparing to leave. Sprinter was just about to do the same when one detail in the other sharptooth's answer rose to his mind? This was her territory? That meant that she should know this forest more than well and if that were true… At first, Sprinter tried to swallow those thoughts and move on by his own but he knew he had no options if he wanted to live through this terrifying chase. If he fell here, he'd have no pride to protect, anyway. With forced movements, he turned back at the other sailback and snapped at her with an even hostile voice.

"If this is your territory, then tell me where I can find a river, lake, anything to wash this cursed scent away from me! There are two two-footers after me so hurry up!" He said impatiently, hoping with every part of his mind that the female wouldn't waste any precious time. At first the latter seemed to only look him oddly and for a brief moment, it seemed like she was about to run away and save herself from meeting the larger sharpteeth. However, after a few seconds, a weak smile crept to her face as she looked at the other sailback.

"Is that so? And is there any reason why I should help you and risk their wrath? I have enough problems without having two-footers as my enemies simply because of saving you." She said, her playful look infuriating Sprinter without an end. He was already preparing to run away on his own but even then, he knew he needed her help. The male took a quick step forward and hissed in anger.

"I have no time to play your stupid games! Just name your price and be done with it! They're coming and if you waste any more time, they'll count you as my ally or something and it won't end well for you either!" He spoke, narrowing his eyes in anger. The female gave him a quick snort and spoke in a more serious if just as unfriendly tone.

"Very well. I'll help you escape but in exchange, you'll hunt for me for the next cycle of the Night Circle! And I'd caution you against trying to flee during that time as I have many allies around here." She said, looking at Sprinter closely. At first, the male nearly declined the offer as a cycle of the Night Circle was a far too long time for him to waste here, only to bring food to this insufferable female! He would be able to move on and claim his own territory in a far less time and there was absolutely no way he'd stay here even for a d…

_Roaaarr_!

Immediately, Sprinter was returned into the real world and he still couldn't ignore the help he so desperately needed. He cringed deeply as he finally answered to the other sailback in the only way possible.

"Alright! Lead the way and don't waste any more time! We're in enough danger already!" He cried and the female merely nodded in approval as she turned around and headed to her left uphill towards a small clearing in the middle of the forest. At first, Sprinter was about to interrupt his companion and ask whether she was only playing fool with him. In the way he saw it, rivers seldom lied in the higher slopes of any land but even then, he knew he'd have to simply trust the slightly shorter sharptooth as even if he didn't want to admit it, she was his only hope at this point.

The shine of the noon's rays almost blinded him as he ran uphill, something that hardly improved his mood right now. He was running out of breath after his long escape from the larger sharpteeth but if fate would smile on him, he would be able to rest soon enough. And if he wouldn't, he'd make the female regret her betrayal before the end. He quickly glanced after himself, only to see movement between a few distant trees and he immediately decided he didn't want to see anything more. However, after a few seconds he heard the words he had waited for a long time.

"There's the westernmost of this woodland's rivers! Get in there, quickly!" She whispered to him, knowing that she and her companion was really running out of time. Sprinter didn't even dare to answer as he ran into the water, rubbing himself in an effort to wash the horrible scent from himself as quickly as possible. The female looked behind herself, counting the seconds her companion had left before the two would have to move on. She could see the larger sharpteeth drawing ever closer and when they were the length of four longneck away from her, she cried to the male in alarm.

"We have to get away from this place! Now, follow me!" She cried and Sprinter wasted no time doing as told. He only hoped he had washed enough of the scent away that the two-footers wouldn't be able to track him down anymore. The female felt fear growing within her mind but the salvation was so very close… She eyed around herself frantically and after a short while, she called to the male beside her.

"Quickly, come here! We have to hurry!" She cried as she headed into a nearby bush, knowing that the two-footers were only a couple of seconds behind the sailbacks. Sprinter looked at his companion in horror but he knew he had only one hope left. He looked at the thick vegetation all around him… until he felt a terrible smell fill his nostrils even if the smell wasn't quite as horrifying as that of the stinkweed. It was at that moment that the shorter predator spoke again, this time even more sharply than before.

"Into the ground, now! Let us crouch away from here but silently!" She said as she followed her own orders. At first, Sprinter was about to question the wisdom of her words but as he heard the two-footers' steps growing more hesitating, he realized that his companion's plan seemed to be working. He cringed as the spot where he had been only a few seconds ago was penetrated by the beasts' claws but now, he was already being hidden by the sheltering grass. After a few seconds, he saw the other sailback wave him to finally stop completely, apparently in order to avoid their chasers from even being able to hear them.

Sprinter felt his own fears gather in his head as he listened to the steps of the sharpteeth who seemed to be tearing the entire grassland to pieces and the two sailbacks prayed that they simply weren't willing to tear the enormous area into nothingness. After a few seconds, she realized the risk was simply too great and she again whispered to the male.

"They're heading away from us. Let's get away from here!" She said as she made her way right in the opposite direction of where her chasers were going towards. Sprinter wasted no time doing as he was told but to his utter relief, he couldn't hear the footsteps of his chasers following her anymore. After a minute of running, he finally realized something he had prayed for for so long. He had lost the two sharpteeth and… and he was alive! It was something he hadn't even dared to hope for in the darkest moments. He panted as he finally stopped behind the female and spoke to her slowly.

"W… we made it! We really made it!" He said as he looked at the canopy of the trees, seeing the small flickers of daylight breaking into the ground. The female slowly looked at the male and answered in a firm and self-confident voice.

"Dein and Terri have been a curse to everyone in these lands and I'm happy to deny them any prey. It's not like they weren't yearning for my blood already, anyway." She said as she looked at the male, spitting into the ground before her. Deep down, she also wasn't willing to allow any of her kind being butchered if she could only help it but she wouldn't ever allow that sentiment hinder her ability to stand her own ground in the circle of life. Sprinter narrowed his eyes as he felt one more shiver creep up his spine.

"I can imagine. It's one thing to protect your own territory but to head after every stranger who simply happens to trespass there… those cursed two-footers are more despicable than a bunch of helpless longneck hatchlings!" Sprinter spoke, cursing the fact that his kind had very little to do against the larger and much ferocious predators. The female crossed her arms and smirked slightly as she answered.

"Or perhaps they saw you as an easy prey. Considering how you fared without me, I cannot blame them." She said with an ironic smile, causing Sprinter's face to fall further. He wasn't in the mood to take the bait and he merely answered silently.

"Very funny. I'll force you to take back those words in due time." He said, not liking the other sharptooth's tone in the least. The latter frowned at his words but didn't react to them in any direct way. She merely snorted as she spoke.

"That is, if you'll still have the will for that after one cycle of the Night Circle has passed. But before that, I'd advise you against breaking your word. And considering that I nearly died helping you, I want my first meal now!" She said with a surprisingly serious face, causing Sprinter to stare at her with a hostile, even bitter expression. However, he was a sharptooth of his word and even then, he knew he needed at least some sense of safety here in order to investigate this forest and its surrounding lands. He had come from the western wastes to escape a bitter drought and he had no allies, no friends nor any idea where he was so in the end, his pact with the female wasn't as bad as he had originally feared. He sighed as he answered, still having his misgivings about practically serving another member of his own kind.

"As you wish. After all, that was our pact." He said with a resigned look as he prepared to turn around, just thinking of how difficult it would be to hunt food for both himself and the female but in the end, that couldn't be helped. He was just about to sprint into the woods to search for prey before he suddenly heard his companion speak one last time.

"Oh, there's one more thing you should know. If anyone questions why you're doing here, tell them you have a deal with Whiteclaw." She said as she looked at the male stop for a moment. The male then answered to her in the most obvious way possible.

"I will. Also, my name is Sprinter. I'll be back soon enough."

Sprinter looked at her for a short moment and nodded wearily before he disappeared into the foliage of bushes and branches.

* * *

She took a deep breath as she smelled at the warm wind of the afternoon, a strange feeling making itself known in her stomach. As long as she could remember, she had never had the luxury to simply stop still for a moment and to revel in her situation of relative safety. Most of the time, she was forced to either hunt herself or fight against some invader but the two-footers had already left and for the former part, well, that wasn't up to her this time. She couldn't help but smile as she thought about her situation, never before the Woodland of Plenty living up to its name to this very extent.

Yes, the male's appearance had been a wondrous gift to her and one that she had gladly accepted. Not only had he made her next weeks much easier but the truth also was, thee were times when she had felt lonelier than she wanted to be. She knew her kind seldom met each other, much less appreciated those meetings but Sprinter's practical and firm approach to life had made her respect the male slightly. Yet, he hadn't been able to avoid being pushed to the brink of death by the larger sharpteeth and she wouldn't give him an easy way out of the fair deal the two had made. She had done her part, not it was his turn to do his. She leaned against a nearby tree to think about her luck as she heard a familiar voice coming not far from her right.

"This better be good enough for you, Whiteclaw. Because I am not going to listen to you whining about my catch." He said as he dropped a still-warm carcass of a juvenile domehead into the ground before the female. Whiteclaw looked at the dead dinosaur with a slight frown, not expecting the male to be this swift in his hunt. She rose to her legs with slow movements and walked in front of Sprinter as she seemed to inspect her next meal. After a few seconds, she finally addressed the other sharptooth in a consciously unsure look.

"I know the domeheads around here aren't too difficult to catch, especially the younger ones. In any case, I don't think I have any reason to decline this offering." She said, causing Sprinter to cross his arms in clear annoyance. He had already had enough of the other sailback for today and he snapped a sharp and annoyed response.

"How shocking you weren't going to boss me around any further. See you at some point but hopefully not anytime soon. I'm done for today." He said, cursing the way his journey had turned out. This certainly wasn't something he had envisioned in the morning but at the very least, he was still alive. However, just as during their previous meeting, the larger sharptooth's departure was interrupted by Whiteclaw.

"Do as you please but you may stay in my territory while you are here. We don't want you to cause another scene, now do we?" She asked with a cheeky grin, causing Sprinter's eyes to widen slightly. He hadn't expected to hear those words as it was extremely rare for a sharptooth to allow someone who isn't a member of their family to sleep on one's territory which meant at least that Whiteclaw didn't see him as some kind of a threat. He slowly turned back at the female and spoke to her silently.

"You have my gratitude for that even if it is more than fair." Those were the only words he spoke and they were rather well received by the female. Sprinter then turned around, wondering why it was that he simply couldn't feel any bitterness at the female even after she had put him through such a humiliating deal. In fact, he could even feel a slight smile creep to his face as he walked into the forest.

* * *

Heavy drops of sky water bashed the canopy of the trees mercilessly, the howling wind ringing eerily among the woods. The morning was still young and the Bright Circle was only starting to climb to the sky but the streams of water in the ground slowly tore Sprinter awake from his slumber. He coughed slightly as the cool wind and water bashed his body, the sudden coldness being the first thing he noticed as his mind started to return from the realm of sleep stories. He looked around himself, seeing that the entire woodland seemed to be filled with slight mist, a new sight for the former denizen of the dry wastes.

It didn't take long before Sprinter rose up and headed to make sure there wasn't danger anywhere nearby, just in case. The wind showed signs of easing but the sky water didn't seem to grow any weaker. Sprinter had never seen the falling water form streams like these, thinking glumly how the dry plains had bloomed after even a few drops of water and how much he and his brother had loved that sight. The sailback stopped for a moment as the memory of his family returned to his mind. He missed them greatly as his youth had been a rather quiet and happy one, even unusually so for one of his kind.

The predator's mouth turned into a slight smile despite the grey cloud that seemed to hang over the entire world this day. He would have gladly stayed with them for a while longer but even then, he was a sharptooth and the call of adulthood and freedom was also a strong one for him. When the time of seemingly never-ending dryness came, both he and his brother, called Greysnout, knew that the time to leave the nest had finally come. And despite the challenges that had come his way, Sprinter was happy it was now his life and his choices that would decide what kind of future waited for him.

He frowned slightly as he turned to look to his right, the direction where Whiteclaw's nest lied in. He still hated serving her like this but during the five days that had passed since his arrival, he had come to somewhat appreciate her presence, no matter how badly he despised the way the two had initially met. Despite that, she treated him like her equal and her rather serious yet kind demeanor had made him happier than he had expected more than once. Inside, Sprinter knew their ways would part, maybe for good, within a few weeks but until then, he'd do his best to repay his debt in full. A slight sigh escaped his mouth as he started to head towards her nest, hoping the sky water would end before it would engulf this entire woodland under itself.

Sprinter looked as the silhouette of the large, unusually long tree appeared before him, marking the spot where the female slept most often. However, as he came ever closer to it, he realized that Whiteclaw was nowhere to be seen. He frowned deeply at that realization, wondering where she had went this early in the morning. Inside, he couldn't care less, though. The longer she was missing, the more time he would have before he'd have to listen to her demands about anything. He was just about to turn around and go explore the seemingly fertile northern areas of the woodland when he suddenly heard something that caught his attention.

"Is there anyone out there? Come help me out of here, now!" Sprinter's eyes widened as he heard that call, recognizing Whiteclaw's voice immediately. Her voice sounded rather urgent and alarmed and the male sailback knew immediately her call for help wasn't a prank. He immediately headed towards the direction of the sound, deeply wondering what he'd find.

* * *

The sharptooth cringed deeply as she took one step after another backwards, looking at the growing river before herself, full well knowing that it was only a few meters after which her back would touch the wall of stone behind her. The stream was growing wider by the second and with a disgusted thought, she wondered what would happen after the rushing river would take her along with it. She could swim but that would be of no help if she was slammed against some pile of stones and knocked unconscious. The female gulped as she realized she was in very real danger right now.

"Anyone, help me! I won't last long!" She cried as she felt the edge of the river already touch her toes before taking another step backwards to buy herself more time. The sky water wasn't about to stop anytime soon which meant that this rising water would only get from bad to worse as more time passed. She cursed herself from coming here on a day like this but the river had risen far quicker than she could ever have expected. The predator had absolutely no idea who would even want to save her and inside, she was already preparing for the inevitable.

"Whiteclaw! Is that you?" She heard a male voice call and she immediately looked at the call's direction, seeing a sharptooth's vague form looking at her from a nearby cliff, the sky water obstructing his features but his identity still wasn't a secret to the female.

"What do you think, Sprinter? Get me out of here before the river takes me along with it!" She cried, causing the male to bring his left hand under his chin. Now that he thought about it, this was a good chance for him to get rid of his debt and of a possible rival for good and no one would ever even know about it. For a moment, Sprinter thought of the territory he could claim as his own after the female's passing and she slowly smirked as he thought about what kind of luck he was having right now. He was just about to turn around and leave the other sharptooth to face her inevitable face when he suddenly stopped and cringed deeply.

Something deep within him rebelled against the logical course of action, some part he had tried to bury under his sense of pride and bitterness. No matter how he tried to tell himself otherwise, he didn't want to see Whiteclaw die here and now as despite her demand, she had never treated him unfairly or in a hostile way nor had she ever tried to make him her servant or anything like that. And even deeper was one feeling that Sprinter shad felt for a few days by now but today seemed to radiate through his entire body. Something that cried out against his plan to leave the female to die here, alone and forgotten. And a truly dependable ally could be of great help to him in the seasons to come, the rational part of the sharptooth's mind reminded him. For a few seconds, Sprinter seemed to stand still and he was only awakened by a loud call from the alarmed female.

"Sprinter, don't waste any more time! Please, I need your help!" She called and the words she used seemed to tell Sprinter the honesty and pureness in her call for help and it didn't take long before he finally snapped out of his thoughts. He then called to the other sharpteeth as he started looking around himself.

"I'll try to look for something! Hold on for a few moments longer!" He called as he ra into the woods, trying to find something that would help in this hour of need. At first, he could only see more sky water that seemed to be falling by the minute but after a short while, he saw something that caught his attention. A long vine was hanging from a nearby tree, one that could possible help him save Whiteclaw from her fate. He immediately jumped towards the vine and with one, strong blow he tore it from the tree. He smiled slightly as he looked at it falling to his arms and soon enough, he turned around and headed back towards the female.

* * *

A deep frown formed on Whiteclaw's face as she tried to fight against the fast water that was quickly drowning her feet under itself. It wouldn't be long now until it would take her with it and at that point, things would get really dangerous. She looked pleadingly at the edge of the nearby cliff, wondering whether Sprinter would return at all. She knew very well why he would want to get rid of her and inside, she really wondered if that would be her end. Inside, she cringed at the fact that she would most likely let Sprinter die if the situation was an opposite one and just claim the territory for herself. It was how most sharpteeth would face this choice and panic started to rise within her as she prepared to face head on her final journey.

She looked in disgust at the rising waters, not having expected today to turn out like this. She had hoped to die of old age after many more Cold Times but then some cursed twist of fate brought this tragedy upon her. After a few more moments of struggling to climb up the cliff, she finally relaxed completely, preparing to face her inevitable fate. She closed her eyes slowly and wished that all of it were over… before she felt something touch her shoulders. Before she could turn around, she heard Sprinter call to her.

"I was just in time! Now, get up before I'll change my mind!" He called with a slight grin, not seeing any value in even trying to hide what had flashed within his mind as it wouldn't come as any surprise to any predator. Whiteclaw looked at the vine, cringing as she wondered whether it could support her weight but in the end, she knew she had absolutely no choice. She narrowed her eyes as she grabbed the thick vine and started to climb upwards, praying that she wouldn't find herself collapsing into the raging river.

Sprinter looked at the female in worry, cringing as he tried to keep the vine from slipping from his hands and dooming Whiteclaw once and for all. He panted deeply as he felt the muscles in his arms aching but he knew more than well the stakes. He counted the passing seconds, knowing it wouldn't be too much longer before she'd see the other sailback appear before her. He looked at the darkened skies, trying to draw his attention away from his aching arms and hoping this ordeal would be over once and for all. Slowly, he lowered his gaze back towards the cliff… and nearly dropped the vine as he saw the top of the female's head appear before him. He quickly moved closer to her and spoke to her urgently.

"Now, take my hand!" He said and the other sailback wasted no time doing as told. Whiteclaw felt every part of her body tremble as she felt herself being battered by the cold wind, the threat of immediate death still lingering over her. However, most of her worries were swept away as she felt the male's hand meet hers, her fears starting to drift away immediately after seeing Sprinter's eyes. She thanked the Bright Circle and the lesser lights from the bottom of her heart as she felt her body being pulled to the dry ground, her belly touching the soft grass as she forced herself further from the cliff. Sprinter asked her in worry as he looked at her.

"Are you alright, Whiteclaw? That was quite a mess you got yourself in!" He asked as he saw the female look at him in utter relief. His concern was more than clear to the female who waited for a few more seconds before she rose to her knees and answered the male's question.

"Y… yes, I got out of there just in time. Th… thank you, Sprinter." She said simply, giving him a brief smile. Sprinter suddenly felt more awkward than he had in a long, long time and for a moment, he felt like he wouldn't be able to form any kind of coherent answer. Finally, he found something to say but he immediately knew it wasn't the most natural way of moving forward.

"I guess this means you're ready to cut our deal by two weeks, yes?" He asked, causing Whiteclaw to take a more sympathetic look as she looked at the sharpteeth. She couldn't help but like him and his clear anxiety made her smile even deeper. Her voice was rather soft as she answered.

"Usually, that should be asked before you ask someone as afterwards, they seldom have reason to accept such proposals. But this time, I'm ready to do that, Sprinter. After all, without you I would most likely be dead by now." She said with a slight chuckle, causing Sprinter to frown even deeper. He looked at her with slight embarrassment for a moment before clearing his throat rather loudly. He just wanted for this meeting to end as for some reason, he could only feel deep unease by Whiteclaw's side. He looked at the female oddly as he turned around, clearly preparing to leave.

"Uhh… thanks for that, I guess. But I should… umm, go for now. See you later!" He said, cursing himself as he headed off. Whiteclaw momentarily raised her hand as she saw the male heading off before she took a brief sigh and turned around with a resigned look and headed in the opposite direction of where the male had disappeared.

* * *

The sky water fell for two days without an end but it did end, eventually, making way for many more days of the shine of the Bright Circle. In many ways, that seemed to reflect Sprinter's mood as he spent the days exploring the land and meeting Whiteclaw's allies one by one. Those were happy days for him and he could see Whiteclaw also looking happier than she had when he had first met her. Yet, there was one, single thought lingering within his mind as he thought about one particular day to come… one that seemed to be coming far too quickly for both of the sailbacks…

Whiteclaw's expression darkened starkly as she looked at the male before her. She knew just what his business with her was and she simply couldn't force even the slightest of smiles on her face as she observed the male's rather stoic face. Sprinter's voice was moody and low as he spoke but it still held his former decisiveness.

"It has been two weeks since I came here and considering our deal after I saved your ass, I consider my debt repaid in full." He said, the tone of happiness and relief that could have been expected completely absent from his voice. The female glanced at him for a while before she walked closer to him, speaking to him as naturally as she could.

"So you have. You are now free to do however you please, Sprinter." She said, looking at him sadly. If even a modicum of her usual vigilance had survived her horrifying anxiety, she would have seen that he felt exactly the same way she did. Sprinter nodded at her briefly, trying to find any words to say. He would have wanted nothing more but to tell everything he had to say to the female but on the other hand, his mind screamed against trying to portray anything that could have been interpreted as weakness to the female.

"Indeed. And umm, well I guess it's time for me to go. After all, that was my plan all along. Thank you for your hospitality but I cannot linger here any longer. It is your territory after all." He said, preparing for the possible answer. However, before Whiteclaw could even think about any possible answer, she felt a certain set of words escape her mouth that had come from somewhere deep within her.

"There's no need to. You can stay here as you want to. Actually, umm…" She started to stutter as she looked at the male who looked at her with glassed eyes. Whiteclaw tried to find something that could make up for her unthought words but she simply couldn't form another word. Sprinter, on the other hand, tried to make some, any sense of the female's comments but no matter how he looked at it, he knew there were only a few possible explanations for Whiteclaw's words. Only one's family, their trusted allies or… or a mate could be allowed to stay on one's territory and only the last one of those possibilities made any sense in this situation. Sprinter took a few steps back before he spoke in a wary, even fearful voice.

"A… are you sure? I… I mean, do you mean it?" He asked, looking at Whiteclaw's face in expectation. The female, on the other hand, frowned deeply, knowing full well what Sprinter meant with those words. So, her proposition was out in the open and there was no way to take it back anymore. Of course, she could cast it aside with some kind of lie but her heart told her to finally speak up her mind. She sighed deeply as she looked at the male in the eyes and started to speak.

"Sprinter… I've met many sharpteeth in my life but thus far, most of them have only wanted to try to show everyone around them just how ferocious and strong they truly were. But you… ever since you arrived here, I could see you were different. You never wanted to prove to be better than anyone else and unlike them, you showed your loyalty by saving me when you had absolutely no reason to do so and that is exactly why… why I'd like to ask you…" She took a brief moment to gather her courage as she prepared for her final admission. Sprinter looked at her unmoving, knowing full well what was coming. He felt his heart beat furiously within his chest as he heard the female starting to speak again.

"I'd like to ask you, do you wish to become my mate?" She finally said, her vision seemingly starting to spin as the emotion of the moment washed over her as she had finally managed to say to words she had wanted to say for days. Now, all she could do was to hope she hadn't estimated her situation wrong and that Sprinter truly saw things the way she thought he did.

The male took a few moments to allow the impact of those words sink into his mind. All the feelings he had tried to escape from or throw aside returned to his mind as he looked into the female's deep green eyes and her sweet smile that seemed more beautiful to him now than anything he had seen before. This was exactly what he had wanted to hear in his dreams and in this moment, he cursed himself for nearly walking away from Whiteclaw without ever voicing his own feelings in any way. Had it been up to him, he would have headed off and, and… those thoughts felt like a bad dream as he looked at Whiteclaw and started to speak.

"I don't know at which point I realized it but very quickly after I met you, I in a way dreaded this day when I should leave this place for good. There was something within you that I couldn't help but adore but I was just too shy to tell you anything about that and I am more than sorry about that. But as for your own question… yes, I really do wish to be your mate. It would be my honor." He said with a wide smile which was very quickly returned by the female. The two locked eyes tightly before slowly taking each other's hands and heading to adore their newfound feelings. Neither of them would have traded this day for anything else and neither did they ever regret this decision made on this beautiful day.

* * *

**This is my response to the Gang of Five's February prompt. Now, I admit I may be up an explanation about who the characters are as I doubt most would remember them. They are Stealth's parents from Farewell to a Changing Land, one fic I did nearly two years ago. This story will be loosely tied to Separate Ways soon enough and already, I wanted to show that Chomper's parents have had a long feud with the sailback family which might somewhat explain what happened in the last chapter of my main tale. On a rather more negative note, I've been forced to decrease my writing pace considerably due to developments in my real life. Anyway, tell me what you think of this one and see you with the next chapter of Separate Ways!**


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